Cotton-compress



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. TAYLOR. COTTON GOMPRESS.

(No Model.)

Patented Jan. 8, 1889..

W/TA'ES ATTORNEY,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE TAYLOR, OF IIILLSBOROIIGII, TEXAS.

COTITON-COMPRIESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 395,857, dated January 8, 1889.

Application filed April 12, 1888. Serial No. 270.398. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE TAYLOR, of Ilillsborough, in the county of Hill and State of Texas, have invented'a new and Improved Cotton-Compress, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an apparatus for compressing bales of cotton and for similar purposes, and has for its object to provide a simple and efficient device and to secure economy in power and in construction.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts, as will be heroinafter fully described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 a side elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line .21 a: of Fig. 1.

In carrying out my invention the frame of the apparatus consists of the spaced vertical side bar, 10, the approaching bars of each set being connected at the base by transverse rods or beams 11, and the upper ends of said rods are arched to meet centrally and secured at that point in any suitable manner. To the outer faces of the side bars angle-plates 12 are bolted or otherwise secured, extending from the base perpendicularly upward to the spring of the arch, the extremities of the several members of the angle-plates being flush with the inner surfaces of the side bars, as best shown in Fig. 3. The space intervening the contiguous edges of the side bars and angle-plates upon opposite sides of the apparatus from the base to a point above the center is inclosed by a plate, 13, which plates also serve the purpose of a tie. The frame is strengthened against lateral pressure or displacement by two or more transverse rods, 14, passing, preferably, through the facing-plates 13, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. The ends of the lower bars 14: have eyes through which the centers or pivots B B pass, and therefore said bars tie the centers firmly together.

Upon the base within the frame a cylinder,

15, is supported, provided with properly-applied steam inlet and exhaust pipes, and in said cylinder a piston, 16, is adapted to slide, having projecting upwardly, and preferably centrally, from the outer face a post, '17.

The piston 16 is provided with upwardlyprojecting guide-rods 18, which pass through bearings in the cross-bars 116, which are secured on the upper open end of the cylinder. These cross-bars 16 are offset 011 their lower sides to form the recesses 20. These recesses allow the packing to be raised above the cylinder for cleaning or repairing without the necessity-of removing the piston. This feature, however, forms no part of my invention, and need not, therefore, be furtherdescribed.

In the arched portion of the frame the upper platen, 21, of the press is rigidly secured, the upper surface of which platen is made to conform to the arched contour of the frame and the lower sides to fit snugly between the approaching bars and angle-plates, the outer surfaces of the platen being flush with the corresponding surfaces of the said angleplates. The arched surface of the platen is preferably grooved to receive the bale-bands, and at or near the ends provided with a concavity or concavities, 22, to facilitate the withdrawal of the operators head or person and manipulation of the sewing device.

In the ways 23, formed by the united angleplates, platen, and side bars, a lower platen, 24, is held to slide, the upper surface of which is beveled or recessed opposite the concavities in the fixed platen, and grooved to receive the bale-bands in similar manner, as best shown in Fig. 1.

In the outer faces of the sliding platen, which are flush with the outer faces of the angle-plates, and near the ends, a recess, 25, is produced, in which, respectively, one end of a toggle-lever, 2i and 25, is pivoted, the other end of said toggles being pivotally connected to the angle-plates. Thus opposing sets of toggle-levers are provided, one set connecting each end of the sliding platen with the frame. The duplicate sets of toggles 2i and 25" are each united to the stud 17 of the piston by single links 26 and 26.

The links 26 and 26 are each pivoted at one end centrally to and between each set of toggles and at the other end directly to the post 17, as illustrated in Fig.

In o 'im'z'ition, as the piston is toreed up, the said piston. acting directly upon the togglelevers thrtiugh the links, thereby straightcns the fornnu or earriti-s their articulate eenters outward, which action propels the sliding platen upward. \Yhen thesteam is exhanstml from the cylinder and the piston descends, the sliding platen t'oltows.

One oi? the ehiet' dangers of togghi -joint eonipresses heretofore has been the liabilit ot' the toggles jumping the center-that is, there is a tendeney, on aeeount ot' the immense power exerted, ol' the levers 25 and 24- and links i and 2U" passing beyond a straightline, and thus loeking the bale ot' eotton between the two platens 2] and 24. obviate thisditiieulty, I make the links 2H amt 30 just the right length to push the levers 2-1 and 25 to a little short of a straight line between the centers A it and A "Y; in other words, these links or toggles 2t; and 26 are too short when pushed by the pistons to a 1 and t he toggle centers orpivotis B B, mounted straight line between centers C, and C to push the levers 2t and Jr ter or pasta straight line. This reduces the a lllresaid dit'tienltv by preventing the links 2H and :15 from passingbe vond the center. The piston Ilti travels considerably faster than the lower platen, 2t, and as the post 17 is attached t0 the piston it travels at; the same speed. I insert in a soeket provided for the purpose in the upper end ot the post l7 a large iron rod, l t, that is just the exaet length of the distance between the top ot said post:

beyond their een- 1 l7 and the under side of the lower platen, 2t, 3 when the levers 24- and 25 are nearly on a 1 straight line. Thus as the post '17 isattaehed j to piston 10, which travels, as aforesaid, faster than the platen 24, this rod II will strike the under side otf said platen before the le- 1 I lavin thus described my invention, what I claim asnew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in a eottiiii-compress, of the frame comprising vertical spaced angle-bars 12, the inner vertical spaced bars, it), within the angles of said bars 12 and curved hnvardly at their upper ends and there seenred together to form the arch, and the tierods H, with the upper platen, 21, curved to eorrespoml to the said arch and bolted in the upper end of the frame, the lower platen working at its ends in the ways jtj'ormed between said spaced bars l2 10, the cylii'ider, the 1,)iston,and the toggle-levers eonnecting the piston and lower platen, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, in a eottoli-eompress, ol' the Frame eoinprising vertical spaced anglebars 12, the s 'iaetal bars 10 within the angles of the bars 1; and curved inwardly at; their upper ends to form the areh, the base-rods 11, the upper and lower tie-rods 14, said lower rods having eyes at:- their ends between the inne adjacent t'aees ot the spaced bars 10 12,

in the sides of the frame at or near the upper end of the e 'liuder and passing through the eves on said lower tie-rods, with the upper platen bolted in the said arch, the lowerplaten sliding in the ways tormed by the spaces between said vertieal bars 1t) 12, and having the pivots or centers A A, the toggle-levers 24c 25, journaled at their opposite ends on said centers A A B B, and the links 26 26, pivotally cmmeeted with the inner pivoted ends of the levers 2t 25, the cylinder, and the piston having a vertical centralv post, 17, to the upper end of which the inner ends of the said links are pivotally connected, substantially as set: forth.

GEORGE 'IAY'LOR.

\Y itnesses:

W. N. Shaman", .lAS. S. Mwsnv. 

